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California Book Store Insurance

California Book Store Insurance. Operating a book store can be a dream come true if you're an avid connoisseur of the written word. However, it's not all fun and games; as any business owner, you still put yourself at risk of liability every time you open your doors for business. You are subject to the same litigious exposure that other stores and businesses face, whether you're a small mom-and-pop book shop with one location or a larger business with several stores.

Because of the risks you face from liability from customers and others, having California book store insurance in place and protecting you and your business is an essential part of putting out your 'open' sign.

California book store insurance protects your shop from lawsuits with rates as low as $47/mo. Get a fast quote and your certificate of insurance now.

Do You Need CA Book Store Insurance?

Book stores are not a thing of the past, despite the tendency for some folks to get their books delivered electronically. But you know as well as anyone that you face lowered sales and a declining market; many small booksellers are just one lawsuit away from having to shutter their doors forever. Because of the less-profitable nature of the business, there has never been a more important time for you to protect your business from the 'what ifs' that can be the demise of your business. California book store insurance insurance can help.

Danger? At the Bookstore?

Although marketing and consulting both seem like innocuous professions, the truth is that marketing consultants face a variety of perils in their everyday operations. Some of the risks that you encounter on a daily basis include:

While you may think that your profession is a fairly innocuous one, anytime you do business with the public you're subject to claims that go far behind the occasional paper cut while flipping through the latest bestseller. Book store patrons can slip, fall, trip or tip over items and become injured, racking up serious medical bills for which you would be responsible. Readers and fellow book lovers often 'hang out' at book stores; perhaps you have a local crowd that does just that. This is usually good for business, but it can also increase the risks you face when it comes to potential injuries. Vendors can also become injured when making deliveries.

There are umpteen scenarios of things that can go wrong and that often do. Your business could become damaged due to weather or fire, causing you to have to throw in the towel or find a new location. In the case of these types of events, you're often left with damaged or destroyed inventory, and absent a policy that pays you to replace that inventory, you're left holding the bag - replace it or accept the loss. Fortunately, there are California book store insurance policies geared toward all of these scenarios.

What Should You Consider When Buying Coverage?

Protecting the contents of your bookstore with a viable policy is a smart business decision, whether you mainly stock trade paperbacks or you're dealing with antiquarian volumes. Inventory in your store is mainly paper based, so it is super vulnerable to damage from fire, smoke and water. Keeping a full inventory list is an important step; you should also make sure your contents coverage covers actual cost of replacing the entire inventory of your store if the worst case scenario actually comes to fruition.

Liability Issues for Book Store Owners

CA book store owners face the same liabilities that other retailers face. With the constant influx of customers, patrons, vendors, and others into your business, accidents are going to happen. No matter how hard you strive to make sure that your store is safe, sometimes things go awry. If your store caters to children, such as by holding special events targeted at young readers, then you're even more vulnerable. General liability insurance can help protect you from potential financial ruin if someone becomes injured on the premises. This protection is even more vital if your bookstore is also home to a coffee shop or cafe, since this type of business model opens the door for more liability from foodborne sickness.

You should also consider that if you sell a book that becomes the center of a libel or other suit, you could be included in the suit. This is even more likely if you endorse the book in any advertising and promotions or host the author for a book signing. Although the risk of such a suit is tiny, it is very real. General liability insurance for book stores should come with policy limits that are high enough to sustain such a claim.

Do You Need Retail Theft Insurance?

The short answer is no. Shoplifting has become a problem in all retail environments, including book stores, and specific insurance to mitigate the damage from book store theft exists. However, most instances of theft are so small and insignificant in the scheme of things that they don't warrant a full California book store insurance policy to pay for the loss, not to mention the time it takes to file a claim. Investing in a loss control system may be a better use of the money spent. Discuss theft in your store with an independent agent to weigh your options and find out if theft insurance is a necessity for your particular retail model.

CA Book Shop Coverage

There are a few other recommended insurance types for your bookstore in additon to maintaining inventory, building, general liability and property insurance. You may also want to buy flood insurance, business income insurance, and employment practices insurance. Employee dishonesty insurance, worker's compensation, and cyber liability insurance may also be wise investments.